The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-09-01

mutiny.
The Hancocks were in Los Angeles
when the election OF 1860 approached.
Their situation was equally danger
Gus and unpleasant. Fearing a per-
sonal assault upou himself, a very
possible event, as he was the only
UnitedStates official within a hundred
miles OF Los Angeles, he collected a
small arsenal of twenty Derringers
within his own house. in readiness for
use at g. moments notice.
On the Fourth of July, 1860, Mr..
Hancock made his maided speech, q
strong and impressive, if not eloquent,
appeal to his countrymen not to
separate themselves from the COM
mon memories and interests which
had so long bound them together.
Whether this Fourth of July celebra-
tion had any effect upon the disturb
ances can not say, but it was gener-
ally considered to have quieted for a
time the rising spirit OF dissatisfac-
tion, which was assuming an lmpor-
tance manlfestly not illusory."
Referring to the painful scenes
among old army comrades after Sum-
ter was fired upon, Mrs. Hancock
says: "Many conferences were held
in our home in Los Angeles
between my husband and the south
ern officers, who were urged by
their relatives and friends to resign
their commissions and offer their SER
vices to their own states, as other
wise they would be regarded as reneg-
AIDES throughout the south. They
sought the advice of my husband,
hoping to receive from him some COM
fort or encouragement, but he could
give none, and would say to those
dear friends, Armistead, Garnett,
Pickett, and host of others whom
he loved: 4 can give you no advice,
as / shall not fight upon the principle
of state-rights, but for the Union,
whole and undivided, as l do not and
will not belong to a country formed
of principalities. I can not sym.
pathize with you; you must be guild.
ed by your own convictions and
I hope you will make no mistakes
\ At that time l was in San
Francisco and had occasion to visit
the headquarters OF General Albert
Sidney Johnston, who was in COM
mand on the Pacific coast. He met
me that morning and said, with tears
in his eyes: "You are not aware that
General Sumner was among the pas.
sengers who arrived on the steamer
this morning, and who came to me
unannounced, expecting to catch me
in reasonable intentions. have not
yet seen him, but l understand that
he has been sent out to relieve me OF
my command replied; General,
you are morbidly sensitive, think,
and hasty in your conclusions 1
hope that / have been, but why was
the Generals name omitted in the
passenger list that was sent by the
overland mail? If my suspicious are
correct ] shall at once resign, and God
knows what then, had intended to
remain where I am, as my wife is SO
opposed to my giving up a certainty
for an uncertainty 1t was soon
known that General Johnston had re-
signed"
A dramatic scene-one of thou.
sand similar ones in those sad days
is set before the reader in the next
passage,
A never-to- be-torgotten evening was
the one spent at our home by the Of
fcers who were to start upon their
overland trip to the South at IL
o'clock that night. General and Mrs.
Johnston were OF the party. 4
The most crushed was Major Arm
istead, who with tears, which were
contagious, streaming down his face,
and hands upon Mr.. Hancock's shoul-
ders, while looking him steadily in the
eye, said: Hancock, good-by; you
can never know what this man cost
me, and hope God will strike me
dead if l am ever induced to leave
my native soil, should worst come to
worst" Turning to me he placed q
small satchel in my hand requesting
that it should not be opened except
in the event OF his death, in which
case the souvenirs it contained, with
the exception of a little prayer
book, intended for me, and which I
still possess, should be sent to his
family. Oh the fly leaf of this book is
the following: "Lewis A. Armistead.
Trust in God and fear nothing" At
the same time he presented Mr. Han
cock with a new majors uniform, say
ing that che might some time need it. I"
This particular promotion never
came to him as he jumped the grades
from captain to brigadier-general.
Armistead died in the way that he
prayed for. /, as we'll as my husband.
believed that he courted the death
that finally came to him at Gettys-
burg, for have often heard it related
how bravely he came to the front of
his brigade waving his sword and how
he was shot through the body and
fell within our lines asking to be TAX
en- to Hancock's tent. At the same
moment my husband had fallen with
what was supposed, at the time, to
be q mortal wound. Three out OF the
six from whom we parted on that
evening in Los Angeles were killed in
front Of General Hancock's troops
and others wounded. The orders
taking us from Los Angeles soon foil
owed.
Captain Hancock made all haste
to the Capital, which he enormously
fancied to be almost within the grasp
of the Confederate where he was soon
appointed Brig. Gen. by President
Lincoln.
Mrs. Hancock gives an interesting
glimpse OF "the Martyr President"
0Mr Lincoln's care-worn face l recall
as vividly as then. At one of his lev
ees in passing HIM 1 remarkek that
it would be showing a greater consider
alton if l were to refuse his proffered
hand, as he must be weary enough OF
handshaking. To this he replied in
never-to-be-forgotten tones: 'Ah, il
this were all were called upon to do,
how willingly would it be done for all
time; but to say no to the poor unfor-
tunate who come to me, in the be-
lief that am all powerful to
pronounce that little word OF
only three letters, and who do not
and will not understand that / can
not act always as / wish, but have
others to consult-this keeps me al
ways unhappy Mr.. Stanton fire.
quently said to me: Mr.. Lincoln has
the biggest heart OF any man in the
world, and for that reason we have